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Women4Women 8: empowering women in print

by mariiabezpala May 29, 2024 Comments0

When women deal with machines and technology, magic is made. Throughout history, they were at the forefront of innovation, bringing unique perspectives, and creative problem-solving approaches to the table. They brought empathy and ingenuity to the world of machines, thinking not only how they work but also how they can improve lives. Every day, women in tech around the world are making incredible strides, developing software, designing hardware, managing IT systems, and driving innovation, and still, their contributions often go unnoticed.

In our latest, 8th issue of the Women4Women magazine, we want to change the narrative and honor women who are shaping the printing and graphic arts industry. Offering a fresh perspective and a completely new look and feel, this issue is aptly titled “Women and the Machine”. From the UK to Australia, we’ve collected over 20 stories of women from all across the globe, who bring change to the world of tech. They tell about their ups and downs, motivation and learning curves, how they challenged outdated stereotypes in the male-dominated field and what drives them to move on. On this inspiring journey, you’ll be accompanied also by evocative photographs taken in Italian factories in the 1980s by Turin-based photographer Paola Agosti.

“The stories we have collected in this new issue are all about a challenge. A challenge that has been quietly but not yet fully recognised, one that sees women and machines progressing and evolving together, demonstrating that technology, in this case applied to the printing industry, is not a men-only activity. These magnificent women tell us how they are able to create empathy with these mechanical ‘hearts’ and thanks to the strong ‘bond’ that is created, it has been possible to achieve results that we can describe as artistic. Business aptitude is not enough to do this,” – says Luana Porfido, European Head of Corporate Communication and ESG Management, FUJIFILM Europe GmbH.

The magazine features insights from the souls of Fujifilm, including Makiko Numata, Mihoko Endo and Isabelle Katrina Morales, who highlight the importance of innovation, perseverance and breaking down long-established barriers. At the same time, there are stories of external contributors, such as Lisa Farinati, Head of Business Administration of Faservice Srl, and Chiara Bezzi, Editorial Manager of Innovative Press, who discuss the transformative power of female leadership and the importance of sustainability and inclusion in the industry. Zhu Min, Vice President of C&C Joint Printing Co. Ltd, also shares her journey and achievements, including winning the prestigious “Bi Sheng Printing Outstanding Achievement” award.

“Our goal is to bring together diverse ideas, unique skills and extraordinary people to change the world. Women4Women is a concrete example that testifies to the path we have taken towards Diversity, Equity and Inclusion,” – Yoshiki Kimura, President, FUJIFILM Europe GmbH.

Find all stories in digital here.

Filed under Be Inspired Blog Spotlight

Photobooth Creatives & OnTrack in Tilburg: where photography and print meet

by arjenjanssen May 7, 2024 Comments0

Two heads are better than one, right? It seems a bunch can move mountains! We are proud of our community of a new generation of passionate photographers, and this April, we were happy to gather them for a creative brainstorm.

Members of Photobooth Creatives, in collaboration with the dynamic minds behind the OnTrack festival, visited our production site in Tilburg, the Netherlands. Photobooth Creatives is a community for photo creators where they can network and share a valuable experience and personal tips and tricks with each other. They regularly organise plenty of photo events like photoshoots, photo walks, and brainstorming sessions. This time, they came to us to see how our best-in-class photographic paper is made and discuss new ideas and possibilities with our prints.

So, we pulled back the curtain on the magic behind Fujifilm, but the real magic happened when we sat down to brainstorm potential collaborations. That was the spirit! Sparks flew as we explored what we could do together. It’s definitely a new step towards strengthening the unique Fujifilm combination of photography and print.

What’s next? Well, the possibilities are as vast as the creative visions that fuel us. With newfound connections and inspiration, we’re ready to set sail on a new journey. And it promises to be fascinating!

Are you OnTrack?

The OnTrack festival gathers a vibrant, youthful community for two days of exploring street culture and everything connected to it. The line-up includes open-air performances, streetwear brands, photo exhibitions, sports, and graffiti artists live as they paint murals. It opens a completely different side of Tilburg you didn’t expect. And we are thrilled to be a part of it by supporting the festival and donating the prints. See you there on June 1-2, at the Spoorzone!

Filed under Blog Photography

Dream Gap: Girls’ Day 2024 at Fujifilm HQ

by mariiabezpala April 26, 2024 Comments0

Can you separate dreams…by gender? In childhood, we see the world is literally ours for taking. We dream of being presidents, scientists, astronauts, and see no boundaries to make it happen. Everything’s possible. Until someone makes us think it isn’t. All of a sudden, a strange, huge gap appears, diving jobs into stereotypically girls’ and boys’ “proper choices”. So, at which point does everything change?

A mind-blowing study, published in Science, showed that by age 6, girls were already less likely than boys to believe that members of their gender are “really, really smart”, lumping more boys into this category. Exposed to gender-related bias early in development, girls start believing that they may work hard but are not naturally really smart. Add to this the fact that girls are three times less likely to be given a science-related toy, or that parents are twice as likely to google “is my son gifted?” than “is my daughter gifted?”.

These stereotypes discourage girls, making them opt out of majors like physics or programming, despite having high grades. They stop pursuing academic paths and thinking of a scientific career in technology, engineering, math, or hinder their success in the field. Despite the progress made in recent years, still less than 30% of researchers globally are women.

To close the gap, we need to empower girls from an early age, making them believe again that everything is possible, showing them female leadership in STEM fields and the story behind it, introducing them to innovative technologies and exciting possibilities they open. It’s also about creating opportunities and supporting dedicated initiatives.

Girls’ Day is a nationwide orientation day in Germany for young girls, which helps them get to know various career and study opportunities in fields such as IT, crafts, natural sciences, and technology, where the proportion of women is less than 40%. It’s also a great opportunity for them to meet female role models in leadership positions.

On April 25^th, for the second time, we welcomed 12 girls, aged between 11 and 16 at our Fujifilm Europe HQ in Ratingen. Committed to women’s empowerment, we were happy to introduce to them the extensive range of our cutting-edge technologies, showing how our photography and film technologies found their way into other industries and how exciting it can be to be a part of the healthcare and science industries. Our guests also got a chance to see what’s possible with our X-Ray machines and see firsthand how it works. Armed with our INSTAX cameras, all girls could capture their experiences and create lasting memories getting shots to remember.

At Fujifilm, we are committed to fostering diversity and inclusivity, and events like Girls’ Day are just one way we strive to inspire the next generation of women in these fields. Can’t wait to welcome a new group of talented girls next year, so we are already looking forward to the next Girls’ Day!

Filed under Be Inspired Blog

10 Minutes To Save A Life: Make Your Blood Work

by mariiabezpala January 29, 2024 Comments0

You don’t need to be a superhero to save lives. Actually, all it takes is a mere 10 minutes of your time and donate just a pint of your blood, giving someone a chance for life. On Wednesday, our team rolled up our sleeves and took part in a local blood donation initiative in Ratingen supported by DKV Mobility, Barmer, EDEKA Kels, and DRK Blood Donor Service West.

A mobile donation station was set up for the campaign in the EDEKA Kels car park. Everybody could choose a convenient time slot and donate at three blood donation stations simultaneously at 10-minute intervals. A total of 40 donors took part, and we were happy to see that some of them were encouraged to donate for the very first time.

Every Drop Counts

It is so easy to become someone’s hero. So, why not? By supporting blood donation initiatives in your city, you can give hope and strength to people facing challenging medical circumstances and fighting for life. Every person counts, and every donation matters. Just one pint of your blood can be divided into three primary components — red blood cells, plasma, and platelets — saving up to 3 lives. It’s astonishing to think that even three teaspoons may be a lifeline for a premature baby – a small act that makes a big difference.

When you give blood, you contribute to saving lives, whether in routine or emergency situations. Only in Germany, 15 000 blood donations per day are needed for operations, to treat severe illnesses, such as cancer, and to help accident victims. It enables medical professionals to perform increasingly intricate medical and surgical procedures, giving hope and healing to those in critical need. It also has a huge impact on the overall quality of life for patients facing acute and chronic conditions.

Ensuring The Safety

Keeping people receiving this blood safe is of utmost importance. Thus, every blood donation must be screened. We strive to contribute to building a healthcare landscape that values patient-centric care and the continuous pursuit of excellence. In our commitment to making a positive impact, we created the DRI-CHEM NX600 — an automated clinical chemistry analyzer designed to streamline blood testing processes, ensuring their efficiency and accuracy.

Curious to know more? Check here.

Filed under Blog Healthcare Reportage

Fujifilm & Willich Packt’s: Turn E-Waste into a Good Deed

by mariiabezpala November 30, 2023 Comments0

Have you thought about what happens with your electronic gadgets after you toss them away? We live in times when fast-tech is running the show, and devices are replaced with new versions so fast, that you can barely notice. Mobile phones, laptops, toasters, lamps, fairy lights, fans, or one-time-use vapes – we discard 155,000 tonnes of electricals every year, instead of reusing or recycling them. As a result, this whole “mountain” of discarded gadgets is piled up in drawers, cabinets, or rubbish bins, creating one of the fastest growing waste streams – and a big threat to the environment and human health.

The United Nations International Telecommunication Union has set the target to raise the amount of recycled e-waste to 30%, and we are happy to make our own little step contributing to safer future for everybody. Our teams in Ratingen and Willich supported the Willich Packt’s initiative to collect e-waste for recycling and get further use of it for good deeds.

Since October, we collected old mobile ones, printer cartridges and remaining currency that is no more in use and have already handed it all over to our partners. These old electronics will now be recycled, the currency is going to be exchanged, and every single cent from this initiative will work its magic to support the Willich Christmas Wish Tree and make the wishes of children and adolescents from Willich in need come true.

How May Your Old Phone Ruin the Planet?

The problem is that your discarded mobile phone does not just litter the planet by taking up the space but they also may be not friendly to the environment, bringing serious damage. Most mobile phones, as well as some other gadgets, may contain hazardous chemicals such as lead, mercury, cadmium, or arsenic. If we don’t recycle them properly, these may end up in our water, air, and soil.

Just over 17% of the global e-waste is properly recycled, with Europe collecting around 55%. The rest ends up in landfills, damaging the planet. And the WEEE says, by 2030, global e-waste generation will reach 74 million tonnes a year.

How to Make Use of E-Waste?

75% of all materials in your old electrical devices can be recycled. Often, there are valuable, even rare, materials that could have been recovered and reused turning into useful things like reusable accessories, plastics, precious metals for microchips and dental fillings, or hard metals which can then be used in construction, for airplanes, and a broad range of home items. Not to say about the amount of energy it can save! Let’s talk numbers: according to the Scientific American magazine, if we were to recycle the estimated 130 million phones thrown away every year only in the USA, we could potentially save enough energy to power nearly 25 000 homes for the whole year.

“If we went ahead and recycled one million laptops, too, we would save the energy equivalent to the electricity used by 3,657 U.S. homes in a year. Furthermore, for every million mobile phones we recycle, 35,274 pounds of copper, 772 pounds of silver, 75 pounds of gold and 33 pounds of palladium can be recovered. Recovering these valuable metals through recycling precludes the need for mining and processing that much new material from the Earth, thus not only conserving natural resources but preventing air and water pollution as well,”
Scientific American magazine.

You Can Contribute Too!

So, what can you do? Anything with a plug, a battery or a cable can be recycled. Instead of just tossing not used electronics away, let’s find ways to give them a new life. As e-waste does not belong to the regular waste, look for the nearest collection points or special recycling bins in your town. It is better to divide your e-waste by kind, separating those needing extra handling, such as batteries. After collection points, your old devices will be sent to specialized electronics recyclers, separated, and turned into new items, or managed properly. Get free from your electronics consciously and make a difference!

Filed under Blog Spotlight

1000 trees in Ratingen: Growing a Change

by M. Köster November 24, 2023 Comments0

Each day, 42 million trees in the world are cut down. That is more than 15 billion trees per year. Humans have already destroyed more than 40% of all the trees on the planet, and speed and intensity of the destruction leaves no space for optimism. Deforestation is beginning to take its toll as global temperatures rise and the effects of climate change become noticeable.

Only two years ago, at the UN Climate Change Conference, over 130 countries representing 85% of the world’s forests made pledges to stop and reverse deforestation by 2030. And now, the WWF publishes its fresh Forest Pathways 2023 report, claiming that the world is already off track to reach the goal in time. Reforestation is struggling to catch up, and the lack of progress on commitments clearly puts the world at risk of missing key targets.

Taking a Stand for Nature

During the month of COP28, we launched a reforestation project in collaboration with the PLANT-MY-TREE®. After the 1000 trees planted last year in Düsseldorf, one more thousand of trees were planted in Ratingen on November 9^th, aiming to reduce our environmental impact and contribute to biodiversity. This project also supports our Sustainable Value Plan 2030 which aims to eliminate CO2 emissions by FY2040 and reflects our ongoing commitment to protect nature and safeguard the planet. To ensure the long-term impact and strong and healthy tree growth while preserving the area, we will put our newborn mixed forest under the regular monitoring.

Why is it important?

Trees are what makes this planet “breathe”. They soak up carbon dioxide and generate clean air, helping reduce the concentration of greenhouse gases and being the devoted partner in a fight against global warming. Apart of that, a single tree can be a home for hundreds of plants, insects, moss, and mammals. Bringing back trees through reforestation supports their natural habitats and creates a safe environment for plants, insects, birds, and other creatures. It preserves biodiversity and helps stop the extinction of species.

“Planting trees is not only about creating a carbon reserve, but also about reducing the risk of flooding and erosion, improving the water cycle and air quality, and providing valuable resources to local communities, such as the one in Ratingen where we operate our European headquarters,”
Luana Porfido, European Head of Corporate Communication and ESG Management FUJIFILM Europe GmbH.

Through this collaborative effort, we aim to contribute to a safer future for new generations, and we encourage you to join. You can help directly by planting or purchasing trees, or you can also promote the initiative among friends and family, fostering the awareness. Step by step toward a change!